Ducketrs LANE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HOWARD COUNTY {6501 Ducketts Lane « Elkridge, MD 21075 « 410-313-5050 « (F) 410-313-4580 » www hepss.org/dles PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM January 11, 2015 Dear Members of the Selection Committee, Lam delighted to write a letter of recommendation for Mrs. Madden for the position of Elementary School Assistant Principal. She has taken on many leadership positions this year such as the School Improvement Team Representative, CFIP Team Leader, and Strengths PLC Leader. Professionalism, dedication, and integrity come to mind when I think about Mrs. Madden's qualities as a teacher and leader. Mrs. Madden is a remarkable educator who, through her enthusiasm, effective planning, and hard work, has instilled in her students the belief that school is an enjoyable, exciting, and creative place to learn. Mrs. Madden differentiates her lessons to meet the individual needs of students and naturally provides any necessary modifications and accommodations for general education students, English Language Learners, and Special Education students, Regular planning sessions with support staff specialists are part of her weekly routine to ensure she is implementing the best possible program and team leader role model This is the third year the Ducketts Lane staff members are following a departmentalization model, which is new to all teachers. Mrs. Madden has worked with her team, the intermediate classroom teachers, ESOL team, reading specialists, and Mathematics Support Teacher to develop lessons and restructure the Mathematics/Science block to best meet the needs of the students. Building trust was a key factor in making this change successful. Mrs, Madden is able to juggle many responsibilities as a Team Leader and PTA Liaison for Ducketts Lane. Mrs. Madden and I have worked closely together these past three year to build a new PTA. Mrs. Madden has been part of this from the beginning and has participated in all Executive Board Meetings, coordinated school- wide volunteers, planned and implemented a health and wellness event, end of year family picnic, movie events, and community yard sale, Mrs. Madden also coordinates our Watch Dog volunteer program. This involves creating an individualized schedule for each volunteer and communicating with staff each day a Watch Dog comes to Ducketts Lane. Mrs. Madden is a creative problem solver who effectively motivates the community and staff to think globally and out of the box. The staff and parents can feel her commitment to ensuring a safe learning and academically challenging environment for all students. Sincerely. Wr Heebfialtin, Mrs. Heidi J. Balter, Prinicpal Ducketts Lane Elementary School Howard County Public School System